tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82757002124316081112024-03-05T16:44:20.125-05:00Brian's Cross Country Motorcycle Trip LogBrian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-83707762343029448322010-04-17T23:28:00.000-04:002010-04-17T23:31:32.009-04:00SeattleDay 26<p>Miles today: 0 Total miles: 5,202<p>We slept in until 10 or 11 today - that was a pretty taxing day <br>yesterday. I think we spend about 11 hours travelling door to door. We <br>went out to brunch this morning with Sam and Sean and two other <br>friends who had flown in fir the weekend, Mik and Kyle, and had some <br>delicious trendy sausage and french toast. I started to notice last <br>night that thus city is very similar to San Francisco. Pretty hilly <br>streets, a lot of . . . um, different people. The difference is that <br>in San Francisco, there are some areas of town that tend to attract <br>these people of alternative lifestyles, while in Seattle, they're just <br>everywhere. There's the guy wearing a kilt at the yuppie bar, the guy <br>with the tie-dye overalls at the trendy brunch place, and the couple <br>dressed in all leather and trench coats at the Indian restaurant. I <br>can tell that I'm from the east coast because this all strikes me as <br>strange, while it's just business as usual for the people who live here.<p>We really lucked out with the weather this weekend. It's usually <br>pretty wet and cold in April, but it's sunny and in the mid 60's <br>today, so Sam, Sharon and I decided to go on a little hike. Climbing <br>1,500 feet in 2 miles up switchbacks is a little hike in the west. The <br>drive out was really nice, with cool views of Mt. Ranier in the <br>distance and other smaller peaks closer in. I did the hike in my <br>motorcycle boots because the second package I sent here from SF hasn't <br>arrived yet. I knew it was going to be a little painful in my $25 <br>boots, but man did I have some huge blisters when we got back. The <br>hike was great, though, and we had a really cool view of the <br>surrounding peaks.<p>We sprinted down the mountain to see if we could make it to the Red <br>Hook Brewery by 5 for the tour. Missed it by about 10 minutes, but it <br>was sold out earlier that day anyway. But no worries! They also have a <br>bar for those of you who missed the tour! I've never really tried Red <br>Hook's beer, but their ESB was great.<p>Everyone was dragging at that point so we headed for the espresso. <br>Seattle is the only place I've been where coffee is significantly <br>different than the rest of the country. Most people drink espresso and <br>it is some of the strongest I've ever had. It tastes like they use <br>half as much water as a normal shot. It's probably an acquired taste, <br>because I like most espressos and didn't like this style.<p>Also, a note about Starbucks, according to Sam: it's really not <br>popular in the city of Seattle. There's only one location, but there <br>are others like 15th street coffee that are actually Starbucks, but <br>have been disguised to appear independent.<p>We went out to dinner to a great Indian place, and then went out to a <br>Belgian beer place to meet Walter, Sam's boyfriend. It's been really <br>fun meeting people in big cities and swing how they live, and it was <br>really cool to meet Walter and see the life Sam and he had carved out <br>for themselves. Sam lives in downtown Seattle, but reverse commutes to <br>Microsoft's campus. I'd never heard of this type of arrangement <br>before, but it makes perfect sense. The company doesn't need to locate <br>downtown to attract talent or be closer to any companies that it works <br>closely with, and the young people who work for the company want to <br>live in the city where it's more exciting.<p>After some stout at the first bar, we went out to Purr, where I got to <br>have my first experience with a gay bar. It was pretty interesting, <br>and no, I didn't get any digits.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-15883309679797801292010-04-16T13:58:00.000-04:002010-04-16T13:58:49.733-04:00"This Isn't Fun Anymore"Day 25:<br />
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Miles today: 192 Total miles: 5,202<br />
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By cutting our day short yesterday, we left ourselves an ambitious day of riding to make Seattle by tonight. We also had a few stretches where we had to go on divided highways and freeways for a few miles. It's not a fun feeling to be doing 45 or so when the traffic behind you is doing 60 or 65. I kept a close eye on what was approaching behind us, but there were a few cars that cut it pretty close when passing us. I always leave myself room to bail out to the shoulder if the car behind me isn't looking like they're going to go around, and I had to use that a few times today, which isn't a good feeling. When you ride, or drive, for that matter, you always want to leave yourself some "outs" which is what that shoulder is for me. So when I have to use that to avoid oncoming traffic, i don't leave myself anywhere else to go. I really don't like that feeling and that's why we've been doing all we can to avoid highways.<br />
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We got off the bike after one particularly hairy stretch, and Sharon said that quote above. We decided to take a nice, long break at the gas station and get some coffee/hot chocolate. We spent a little while just not thinking about the bike, and then we got out the map to look for a better way to get to Seattle. We found some county roads and cobbled together a new route that would take us a little out of our way, but would give us some kinder speed limits and less traffic. The good news for her was that she only had a few miles to go before she could get off the bike for good. When we got back on, the ride was much nicer. This turned out to be a really good decision, and we saw some great views of a few rivers. The huge plus was that we only saw a few cars in 2 hours or so before we got back on more primary roads near Puget Sound. <br />
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The route we took put us on a ferry into Seattle, which is one of the coolest ways I have ever entered a city. We came in around 10 at night, and the whole city was lit up. It was pretty cold, but we stood on the bow for a little bit to take in the view. I had also never been on a ferry before that carried cars, and it was pretty cool to just ride my bike onto a boat.<br />
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One of the first things I noticed about Seattle is that it's nearly as hilly as San Francisco in some spots. Not fun with 2 riders on a bike. We made it in fine to Sam and Sean's place (Sharon's friends from school - seriously this girl knows someone in every city in the US) and then we walked a few blocks to the bar where they were, called Canterbury Ales (insert groan). We had a couple drinks and then crashed at Sam/Sean's place. It's good to be in one place for a while and I'm glad we made it in today.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-64341990122223915212010-04-16T13:55:00.000-04:002010-04-16T13:56:04.509-04:00Guest Post: Some Perspective From the Back of the Bike<div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">Greetings fair readers of Brian goes west! I'm here to offer some perspective from the passenger seat. <br><br>First of all, California is a really really long state. Especially at 25 mph. I was pretty glad to finally leave it behind, because it felt like we weren't making that much progress when we couldn't get out. As a mid-Atlantic native, I'm used to hitting a new state every few hours. Or minutes if you're going through Delaware. <br><br>Advantages of being on the back of the bike include not having to make decisions or pay too much attention to the road. Brian alluded to the fact that there is some active participation required from a passenger so that you're not shifting your weight too much, you're leaning into the turns correctly, and you brace yourself properly for acceleration and deceleration so that you don't hit helmets every time you change gears (i guess one good thing about only having four gears is that aforementioned gear changing is necessarily limited? Too soon?). Brian's "So today was a little uncomfortable as we both worked things out" means "Today was a little uncomfortable as Sharon kept not paying attention and ramming her helmet into mine every time we changed gears and I almost threw her off the bike."<br><br>Disadvantages to being on the back of the bike include not having to make decisions. Since there's not a lot of communication possible even at the turtle-like 35 mph, my contributions to decision making were limited to being able to request a stop. That kinda gets frustrating. Especially since I may or may not be known for talking a lot. Loudly. Also, after trying both seats, I can say with confidence that the passenger seat is much less comfortable. <br><br>We'd been lucky enough to mostly avoid rain until this day, but less than an hour after leaving Coos Bay, we felt and saw a little bit of rain, so decided to pull off and "rain suit up!" We both looked really really ridiculous. I'm pretty sure there's pictures on Brian's camera somewhere, but let's just say it's a good thing we weren't trying to impress any young, good-looking Oregon-ers. We did stop at a delicious pizza place to warm up and watch a lot of the Masters. Needless to say, this cut down on our ability to make a lot of miles this day, but I'm pretty sure we both thought it was worth it. After getting back on the road (and, for the record, I called Lefty's victory from Day 1), we put down some miles but then hit some heavier rain. <br><br>As we got to the early evening hours, it started coming down pretty hard. Once you get to a certain amount of wetness, it doesn't bother you as much (at least for me), and since I didn't really have great rain gear (athletic pants over jeans? Oops?), I hit that point pretty quickly. It does make the drive much much colder and we decided to call it a day pretty early in Tillamook, OR. Land of cheese making. Their cows smelled pretty bad (and this is coming from a girl who grew up next to a dairy farm and normally isn't that bothered by our bovine brethren), but the high school was the Tillamook Cheese Makers. So that was exciting. <br><br>We stopped at a local gas station to evaluate our motel options and had a nice little chat with the gas station attendant (you can't pump your own gas in OR. Reminds me of my college years in fair New Jersey!). Once thing I really enjoyed about this trip is how readily people approach you to chat you up when your all motorcycle-geared up. It's an easy way to start a conversation -- where you guys coming from? -- and people were a) very impressed with Brian's lengthy trip and b) always willing to share a bit about the local area, politics, or whatever else came to their mind. It really was a cool way to travel and see the people in small towns across the West Coast and get a little insight into the various regions. And, as a professed lover of talking, it pretty much warmed my heart every time. <br><br>We ended up staying a the Red Apple Inn, which had a very nice little innkeeper. We got some more cheese and sausage (breakfast/lunch/dinner of champions!), but supplemented with some red apples. Seemed appropriate. And some delicious Northwest Pale Ale. Or NWPA for those in the know. We had to cut Portland (land of the microbrew) out of our trip to save time (heartbreak), so I was glad to get some local brews. The heater didn't really work, so that was a little bit of downside, but other than that, it was pretty nice for a cheap motel. I called my friends in Seattle to let them know we would in fact arrive on Friday. We'll be staying with two of my very good friends from college, whom I hadn't seen in about a year, so I was very excited. <br><br></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.289062); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.222656); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.222656); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.289062); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.222656); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.222656); ">Last thing -- Since I didn't get to post on the SF side of the trip, I'd like to take the time now to thank Stephen and Stacey profusely for hosting us. They are really awesome people and it was great to meet them, hang out, and offer my expert advice on furniture selection. Thanks guys!</span> </span></div></div>Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-8118657700872501872010-04-16T12:44:00.001-04:002010-04-16T13:53:28.920-04:00Into OregonDay 23<br />
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Miles today: 234 Total miles: 4,830<br />
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Over the past few days, Sharon and I have stuck to a strict diet of cheese, summer sausage and crackers. This is the perfect meal for the road because all the ingredients require minimal refrigeration and it can be eaten anywhere. I usually keep some of each of these foods in my lunchbox in the tankbag with a little ice. This way I don't have to stop at so many restaurants for lunch/dinner. This is a great short term solution for how to eat well and cheap, but after a little while, your body starts yelling at you, demanding something green. So we woke up this morning and I was feeling this way, craving a salad or some veggies. We talked about our options for lunch in town, which were pretty slim, and finally settled on Mike's Burger Joint. It has lettuce and tomato, right? Whatever, we had fruit last night. That should ward off the scurvy for at least another few days. Mike's was a pretty excellent choice, and reminded me just how much better burgers are with chili on them.<br />
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We crossed into Oregon today and left California behind. I guess I spent about 10 days in the state, and man was it a good time.<br />
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I forgot to mention this yesterday, but Highway 1 ended and we've been continuing on 101 since then. So I rode pretty much the whole thing, except for the stretch between LA and San Diego. Probably my favorite road in the country, unless I find one better on the way back.<br />
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We've now gotten gas in Oregon, and I'd like to comment on the state law that requires full service at gas stations (an attendant must pump your gas). This is the law, as far as I know, in Jersy and Oregon, but nowhere else. I can't think of a reason for this law beyond job protection. There is no reason to require this attendant to pump your gas - I think the other 48 have pretty much proven that the average consumer can be trusted to fill a gas tank without blowing themselves up. So all you really do is increase the price of gas to everyone in the state so that some guy can keep his job which adds no value to the product he sells. <br />
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We put in a lot of good miles today, and made it to Coos Bay, OR. I think the big story is that Sharon made it that many miles without seriously injuring me or her backside. I'm starting to settle into a groove riding the bike with her on it; I'm starting to get pretty comfortable. Not sure if I can say the same for her, but at least we made good progress today.<br />
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Coos Bay is a pretty cool town with some nice views of the bay, nothing too spectacular though. More northward riding tomorrow.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-4731972457521157542010-04-16T12:14:00.001-04:002010-04-16T12:14:18.059-04:00NorCalDay 22<p>Miles today: 194 Total miles: 4,596<p>Today was a good day on the road. We slept pretty late and got going <br>around 11 or so. I guess we still pretty tired from thre weekend. <br>Today was just a great day of riding along the PCH and checking out <br>the awesome views.<p>The bike is doing ok, but the low speeds are getting s little <br>frustrating. On the way out here, I ususally averaged about 45 mph <br>with stops, but now we're only doing about 25. With a top speed of 40 <br>and all the curves and hills of the highway we're on, we're generally <br>going pretty slow. It's ok on this road for the most part. There's so <br>much to see that I'm almost happy to slow down and take it all in, but <br>it's getting frustrating and feeling a little uncomfortable at times. <br>During some of the straightaways, some cars/trucks tend to come right <br>up to your fender while they wait to pass. There are some turnouts <br>that I've been using, but sometimes there's just nowhere to go for a <br>while. We haven't been in any dangerous spots yet, but like I said, <br>it's been a little uncomfortable in a few instances. We had to go on a <br>freeway for a while today, which wasn't fun, but we did find a scenic <br>alternate route: Avenue of the Giants, which snakes through a redwood <br>forest. We hit a patch of irony when we got stuck behind a BMW that we <br>couldn't pass for about 5 miles until I got impatient and honked at <br>him to use one of the turnouts.<p>As cool as the PCH was between LA and SF, I think it might be even <br>cooler north of SF. There are a lot more boulders in the ocean up <br>here, and the cliffs overlooking the water are a lot more dramatic.<p>I don't think Sharon's seat is quite as pillowy soft as mine. It <br>probably doesn't help that her butt is much smaller than mine. She's <br>also wearing a backpack that's weighing her down more than me. Stay <br>tuned to see if she kicks me in the butt to even things up.<p>Staying in Eureka, CA tonight, which apparently used to be a town <br>based on fishing and timber, but now has moved on to motels and bail <br>bonds. That's the surest sign that a city has taken a downward turn, <br>when you have 3 offices competing for the bail bond market on the same <br>block.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-11140904424980676702010-04-16T12:08:00.001-04:002010-04-16T12:08:17.000-04:00The Journey ContinuesDay 21<p>Miles today: 156 Total Miles: 4,402<p>When we last heard from our hero, his noble steed had been injured, <br>but he had found his fair lady. With renewed vigor and courage, he <br>sets out once again to traverse the hostile countryside, o'er the <br>cliffs of the mighty pacific, dangerously close to the water's edge, <br>through driving winds and constant rains, in search of the mythic town <br>of Seattle, land of strange music, exotic coffees and strong ales. <br>Will his crippled steed be up to the task? Will his fair lady leave <br>his side in search of a more capable but far less attractive traveling <br>companion? Stay tuned as our hero confronts the many challenges set <br>before him . . .<p>After a few preparations in the morning and a delicious lunch stop for <br>some burritos, we hopped on the bike and took off across the Golden <br>Gate Bridge. They only charge a toll southbound, so we got out of town <br>for free! That bridge is much cooler to look at than drive on in my <br>opinion. Still, it was pretty cool to be able to look down and see <br>Alcatraz and some sailboats on the pacific as you rode over it.<p>We didn't make too much progress today, but we did get out of town and <br>on our way. Sharon and I have gone for a couple rides around Chapel <br>Hill, but never for longer than 20 miles or so. It takes a little <br>learning from both riders to figure out how to ride the bike together. <br>Little shifts here and there throw the driver off, and gear changes <br>and sudden braking can throw the rider into the driver. So today was a <br>little uncomfortable as we both worked things out.<p>We made it to Point Arena, which was apparently famous for having one <br>of the first lifesaving boats. We walked into a seafood restaurant <br>with memorabilia from the boat covering the wall, and then just as I <br>was about to sit down, I glanced up and saw that there were about 4 <br>seconds left in the NCAA championship. It was much more painful to <br>watch that live than it would have been to see the highlights. <br>Seriously though, this year should have an asterisk next to it. Thy <br>beat Butler in the championship and won by 2. That's all you need to <br>know right there.<p>We were both pretty tired and went to bed early. We're looking to get <br>an earlier start tomorrow so we can put more miles in.<p>Stephen and Stacey, it was great to see you guys this weekend. It was <br>so cool to see the lives you guys have made for yourselves, and I'm <br>happy I was able to help you guys get settled in your new place. That <br>way, when I'm out there again, I can say, "See that wall over there? <br>Yeah, I painted most of that. Except for that spot there, and that one <br>there, which I missed and Stephen had to fill in. But the rest? All <br>me." I can't wait until August to see you guys again.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-77538930208438957692010-04-12T03:07:00.000-04:002010-04-12T03:07:39.775-04:00Lazy Sunday and a Very Unique DinnerDay 20 <br />
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Miles today: 0 Total Miles: 4,246<br />
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We were out pretty late last night, so not too much happened this morning. Sharon and I got up to go to Easter Mass, but the Direct TV guy what supposed to come that morning, so we decided to go that night instead. We had a Mario Soccer rematch so that I could affirm Waluigi's dominance, and didn't really leave the house until around 3 or 4. <br />
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We met Stacey's parents at one of the most unique restaurants that I've ever experienced. This was a combination Irish pub, Indian restaurant, and souvenier shop. I'm not sure what images are coming to mind right now, but I can tell you that this place was surreal. As the story goes, there were 2 friends in Brooklyn who each wanted to open up their own business: one wanted and Irish Pub, the other and Indian restaurant, and the third a souvenier shop. You walk in, and it looks like a pub - dark paint, dark carpet, lots of wood, and a few pool tables, but then there are tables with white tablecloths and the smell of curry wafting through the air. So I had Saag Paneer and a Fat Tire for dinner while an old Metallica concert played on one TV and cartoons played on another. <br />
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We walked back to Stacey's parents' place and caught the end of the Golden State game, which gave me the opportunity to sing the praises of Charlotte native Stephen Curry as he rained 3's down all over the Raptors. We met their dog, who I'm pretty sure would be more accurately described as a small horse. We chatted for a while and then it was time to go get ready for church. <br />
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It turns out that most churches don't have a Sunday evening mass on Easter, so I'm guessing that it's sort of a liturgical no-no. We went to a Taize mass, which was all we could find. It's sort of a contemplative style mass, with lots of repetitive chants and candles, based on the practices of some French monks (I think., Not too sure about that). It was a little strange going to Easter mass that late in the day, but I had been to the Easter Vigil so many years in a row that I was just happy to go to mass on Sunday. <br />
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When we got back, Stacey had bought us a big bag of Easter candy to celebrate (She's Jewish, by the way). I think she'll make a great mom - my parents used to hide our candy all around the house in these plasitc eggs and make us kids go look for it.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-89949140282855983732010-04-12T02:43:00.000-04:002010-04-12T02:43:30.745-04:00Touring San Francisco and Other MisadventuresDay 19 <br />
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Miles today: 0 Total Miles: 4,246<br />
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I'm feeling much better now. We went out briefly last night, but called it an early night because Sharon was pretty jet lagged. We got up this morning and lounged around for a bit, played some Mario Soccer, and then it was time to go buy a couch. Stephen and Stacey are moving from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished one, so they have some purchases to make, one of which was the bed that was delivered Thursday, and another is a couch. We went to Room and Board to go check out a brand that they carried that Stacey liked (which is made in NC!). I think Sharon and I did well in our role as consultants, offering our expert opinions on such qualities as napability and TV-watchability. We also drank excessive amounts of free coffee and tea, telling ourselves that it was ok because our friends were going to spend money, so we were covered. My dad said many times that you know you've made a big purchase when you spend a lot of money and walk out of the store with a piece of paper. <br />
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After we'd covered our furniture needs, Stephen took us on a driving tour of the city. Stephen drove us all around San Francisco and showed us all the neighborhoods. We went up to Twin Peaks, which overlooks the city and is an amazing view, but we had a little trouble getting up there. Stephen's brand new, awesome car fell victim to a pothole. The road going up there was in pretty bad condition, and he had to deal with about 12 potholes in 100 yards or so. On the bright side, he missed 11 of them. That "thud-hisssss" sound is pretty awful. We got out and put the spare on, and then we got to continue the tour at Big-O Tires, where Stephen found out that his car's excellent handling is reflected in the price of its tires. <br />
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We went out to Hobson's Choice that night, which serves multi-gallon punch bowls to patrons that contain indeterminate amounts of alcohol (I think they erred on the high side in this particular case). We met a bunch of Sharon's friends who live out here and also Stacey's brother and some other friends. It was great to meet everyone and to dream up epic bachelor party plans for Stephen this fall. <br />
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We're thinking that we'll stay in SF through Monday morning and try to leave around noon. Stephen is changing his work schedule and doesn't start til around 3.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-21682050771174022622010-04-12T02:15:00.000-04:002010-04-12T02:15:35.035-04:00Bad News, Ladies and GentlemenDay 18 <br />
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Miles today: 25 Total miles: 4,246<br />
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Today was the day to deal with that noise I've been hearing in 5th gear. Stephen tried to set up his internet last week, but got the run-around from AT&T (whose coverage has been pretty terrible out west by the way, even in big cities). End result is that I borrowed Stephen's computer and went down to Cole Valley Coffee to use their wireless and do some research on the bike and mechanics in SF.<br />
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I started out by using the power of the interweb to figure out what was likely wrong with the bike. This is one of the magical things that the internet has done. Getting info from other people who owned my bike and had a similar problem would have been pretty much impossible a few years ago, but in an hour or so, I had searched a few message boards, a couple of Yahoo! Answers-type sites, and I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking at. I described the noise I was hearing to myself as a "rattle," but I think I was trying to talk myself into the noise being more benign than was actually the case. It was/is probably more of a grinding noise coming from the bottom of the bike. Other owners who had heard a similar noise had found out that it was from the gear itself breaking down. When I read that, I figured that I definitely needed to see a mechanic about it.<br />
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Yelp is also awesome. Finding a good mechanic in a given city usually involves talking to someone who lives there. Stephen did give me a recommendation, but I also got to go on Yelp and find out that everyone else who had gone to the shop had a very good experience. I called O'Hanlon Motorcycles and set it up to take the bike down for them to do a test drive and see what they heard. Dave took it out and confirmed that it was in fact the gear that had gone. The noise was coming from a grinding of the teeth of the gear. He told me that it was likely the 600 mile sprint from Santa Fe to Vegas that did it. <br />
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I had read and been told that this bike was not a good highway bike, which I understood to mean that it did not perform particularly well in the 70-80 mph range. I had no idea that running it at 70-75 mph for that long would actually do severe damage to the bike. It also has to do with the way the engine is set up. I'm not very familiar with the physics/mechanics of what forces are at work here, but this is my understanding: Bikes have either 2 or 4 cylinders for the most part, and mine is a 2 cylinder (V-Twin). 2 cylinder bikes tend to perform better at low rpms, where torque is high, while 4 cylinder bikes do better at higher rpms, where horsepower is high. When I was researching what bike to get last year, one of the negative reviews that this one received was that it needed a 6th gear because it was running at higher rpms at 60 mph or so than felt comfortable. When I read this, I understood it to mean that there would be less acceleration available at these higher speeds on this bike as compared to others in the same class, and that gas mileage would be relatively poorer at these high speeds. I had no idea that running the bike at these speeds would actually be harmful. <br />
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So I when I was researching what was wrong, I also looked into what replacing 5th gear would cost. I saw that the part was $90, but I couldn't get any info on what the labor would be to rebuild the transmission. I talked about it with Dave and he gave me the damage report: The genius engineers at Yamaha, in their infinite wisdom, designed this bike in such a way that getting to the transmission required completely removing the engine, taking off the carbs, valves, etc, and splitting the engine just to get to the transmission. Dave estimated that this would take 15-20 hours of labor at the shop to do. Shop time is usually $80-$100 an hour, so that's a total price tag of around $1,500, conservatively. I'm not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but I paid $2,900 for the bike and had estimated that it would be worth about $2,000 after the mileage I would put on it this trip. <br />
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Dave told me up front that it didn't make much sense to fix the bike, at least not at his shop. I was very lucky to take the bike to him. I'd like to put in a big plug here for O'Hanlon Motorcycles in San Francisco. Dave is a great guy and was very honest an up-front with me about what I was facing and how to best deal with it. He even told me that if I were to fix it, I shouldn't do it at his shop, but at a dealer, because it would work out being cheaper for me. He also gave me his number and offered to put me in touch with someone if I needed to find a shop. He didn't even charge me for the time he spent diagnosing the problem and talking to me about it. He said something to the effect of, "You've got enough problems here - I'm not going to give you another one and make you pay for this."<br />
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So we started talking about my options. One was to sell the bike, buy a plane ticket, and come home. That one didn't sit too well with me. Getting it fixed didn't sound too palatable either. So I'm left with just riding it in 4th gear then rest of the way. Because I had such trouble with 5th at high rpm's, Dave's advice was that I try to keep my speed at 40 mph or below. Yeah, you read that right. So getting back will be a little more challenging now, and it looks like the route might be altered a bit. More on that as I get going and figure out what kind of time I can make. <br />
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I also asked about the safety of riding this bike with this damage. The worst cast scenario is that the transmission seizes up and locks the rear wheel. The chances of this happening are very low, but just in case, I'm going to be riding the rest of the way with two fingers covering the clutch. That way, if the rear wheel does lock, I can grab the clutch more quickly and let the wheel spin freely again. <br />
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So with bad news comes good news . . . Sharon gets in tonight and will be with me for 10 days as we make the now much more challenging journey from SF to Seattle.We'll be in SF through Sunday and will try to make Seattle by Friday. Stay tuned for more adventures.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-40128503671214418982010-04-07T13:54:00.000-04:002010-04-07T13:55:07.332-04:00Walking around SFDay 17<p>Miles today: 0 Total miles: 4,221<p>I spent a long time getting out of bed today, and got all caught up on <br>Lost. It's a good morning when you shower at noon.<p>I decided to get out and just go walking around town. Partly to see <br>the city and partly because I really needed some exercise. Stephen is <br>moving to Cole Valley, which is near Haight Ashbury. I walked from <br>there down market street to the Embarcadero and then to AT&T park. I <br>got hungry and found a place called Red's which had apparently been <br>featured on the food network. What can I say? I have good taste. I had <br>my welcome to San Francisco moment there when I gave my order to a <br>transvestite waitress. She was very classy, though, and professional. <br>The burger was great, and after I finished, Stephen picked me up in <br>his brand new Mazda 3. Really sweet car, with a lot of pickup and <br>really good handling. When you start work that early, you get off <br>early too. We went to Stacey's parents' apartment and switched cars so <br>that we could move some stuff from the old apartment to the new one. <br>After we took a couple loads over, we headed back to AT&T park to <br>watch the Giants play a spring training game against Oakland. They got <br>rolled, but the garlic fries at the park were amazing.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-58881443892133020312010-04-07T13:37:00.001-04:002010-04-07T13:37:35.588-04:00Made it to SFDay 16<p>Miles today: 225 Total miles: 4,221<p>Made it to San Francisco today. I decided to scrap the idea of going <br>to Yosemite today because I wanted to make it here to see Stephen and <br>Stacey. I've know Stephen since we were about 3 years old, and Stacey <br>is his fiancée seeing them was most of the reason for this trip, and <br>I'm really happy I made it here.<p>Today was a nice day for riding until a storm moved in this afternoon, <br>so I rode through rain for the last 3 or 4 hours of the trip. Constant <br>rain lowers my tolerance of temperatures I can ride through, because <br>all the moisture combined with the wind really saps your heat. I <br>pulled off a fee times to warm up, and the last time I pulled off was <br>on the penninsula just south of the city. I told the guy behind the <br>counter that I was just going to stand in the corner and warm up a <br>litte bit if he didn't mind. He was a great guy and brought me an <br>electric heater to dry my gloves with. We got to talking and he said <br>his uncle spent $85,000 on a custom built chopper, which blew my mind. <br>He also mentioned that he was related to Troy Polamalu, the Steelers <br>safety. It's pretty hard to fake being Samoan, and this guy was about <br>6' 2" and pushing 3 bills, so I belive him.<p>I've been hearing a rattle in 5th gear since LA or so, but it's so <br>minor that I can't tell if it's serious. It seemed like it was getting <br>worse when I was riding today, so I decided to just ride in 4th for <br>the rest of the day. Sometimes there's an inner monologue running <br>through my head, and in this one, I was the coach, talking to my <br>pitcher, 5th gear: "Great effort out there today, kid. That was really <br>some performance. We're gonna shut it down early for you, though. Doc <br>says he's worried about your health. It's a long season, son, and you <br>know we need you for the long haul. Go grab a shower and we'll have to <br>doc take a look at you tomorrow."<p>I got in pretty late, and Stephen had to get up for work around 4 <br>(that's o' dark 30 eastern), so we're all just going to bed.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-69317284598791106942010-04-07T13:10:00.000-04:002010-04-07T13:11:15.548-04:00More PCH and CampingDay 15<p>Miles today: 195 Total miles: 3,996<p>One thing about riding on slow, winding roads is that you can spend a <br>full day riding and only cover 200 miles.<p>I had a great breakfast this morning at an oceanfront cafe. I met two <br>Aussies there who had rented Harleys in LA and were riding them up and <br>down the coast for a week. If any of you are looking for vacation <br>ideas, that's one of the best that I can think of.<p>I kept going north and figured that this time, I would start looking <br>for campsites earlier in the day so I had more time to find a good <br>(cheap) one. I was hoping that the campsites were so expensive last <br>night because I was so close to Santa Barbara, and that prices would <br>become more reasonable as I went north. Like most of my optimistic <br>theories, this one was also wrong.<p>I checked out Pismo Beach, which allows driving on the beach and <br>camping on the beach for 10 bucks, but you had to drive your vehicle <br>out to mark your campsite, which I wasn't about to do in a motorcycle. <br>I walked down the beach a little ways and got to talking with a guy <br>who was packing up his kite surfing gear. He was a professional <br>motocross racer for a long time, and apparently did pretty well. He <br>just bought a horse ranch about 30 miles inland from Pismo and was <br>working on opening it to the public. "My real name is Jeff, but my <br>friends call me Moto, like motocross."<p>I did luck out and find a secondary campsite at a park near San Simeon <br>for only $20, and that seemed like an ok deal to me. When I was <br>checking in, I got to talking with the guy next to me, and it turns <br>out he grew up in Chapel Hill! I forget his name, but he said he was <br>in the inagural class at East Chapel Hill High. He moved out to <br>Sacramento to work at a hospital and was down doing some camping this <br>week.<p>These campsites in California are administered by camp hosts instead <br>of rangers. They're like professional campers who bring their RV to <br>the park for a few weeks, sell firewood and generally make sure nobody <br>burns the place down. I decided it was a great night for a fire and <br>went to see the host about some wood. He said "these bundles here are <br>a rip off. Why don't you go unload the gear on your bike, come back <br>here and I'll just load you down with the loose pieces I find, you <br>give me 5 bucks and we don't tell nobody nothin." Sounded like a good <br>plan to me, so I used my bungee net to strap a bunch of firewood to <br>the back of the bike and hauled it back up to the campsite.<p>Building fires is fun. You're basically playing with fire, which is <br>really what everyone wants to do deep down. And once you get it going <br>you feel very accomplished. Everyone look - I make fire! I wound up <br>just looking into the fire for about an hour before I realized what I <br>was doing. It's supposed to start raining right about now, so I'll <br>head in and get some sleep.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-38921837485848013372010-04-07T12:43:00.001-04:002010-04-07T12:43:42.713-04:00PCHDay 14<p>Miles today: 154 Total miles: 3,801<p>I made it out of LA today and am going North up CA-1, the Pacific <br>Coast Highway. I am officially living the dream. This road is just as <br>incredible as I remember it - winding curves and amazing views of the <br>pacific. This is such dramatic country out here - this road is <br>basically on the side of a mountain that is slowly falling into the <br>ocean. The beaches here are so much younger than in the east. There <br>are large boulders just off the coast that haven't been eroded yet by <br>the ocean. Waves will break around them and send spray 100 feet in the <br>air.<p>I've given myself plenty of time to enjoy this road. Sharon flies in <br>to San Francisco Friday night, so that gives me 5 days to get up <br>there, with only a few hundred miles to cover. If the timing works <br>out, I might cut over to Yosemite before I go to SF.<p>I tried to get a campsite tonight, but it seems that the People's <br>Republic of California is trying to close the budget gap at the state <br>parks. $35 for a campsite. If I'm going to rent a square of earth for <br>one night and pay that much money, it had better have 4 walls and a <br>roof built on it. So with that line of reasoning, I went to the next <br>town and got a $40 motel. Buellton is a great little town by the way. <br>A cool little inn and some great restaurants located in the vally <br>north of Santa Barbara. I went to one motel and talked to the owner, <br>who said she doesn't rent rooms by the night (anyone ever heard of <br>that?) so she sent me down the road to her friend Julie. One of those <br>"tell her I sent you" kind of things. Julie gave me the super secret <br>discount and it was a very nice room. I'll keep heading north tomorrow <br>and I'll see how far I get.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-57634272640562782252010-03-31T13:21:00.000-04:002010-03-31T13:26:27.056-04:00BreakDay 13<p>Miles today: 0 Total miles: 3,647<p>Today was a day off from riding. I actually triple-checked that total <br>mileage number becuase I couldn't believe I had gone that far in a <br>single trip. I was feeling a little burnt out and needed a break from <br>being on the road.<p>I met up with Chris Walthers, a friend and old roommate of mine from <br>college. Chris has his Master's degree in biomechanical engineering <br>from UCLA and is pursuing a PhD there now. I hadn't seen him in a long <br>time and it was great to catch up.<p>I tried to go to a Spanish mass that morning, but I guess the church's <br>website was wrong about that. I also thought I was arriving 15 minutes <br>early, it being Palm Sunday and all, but I actually was 15 minutes <br>late. There weren't too many people at that service, so no problem.<p>I went to lunch with Chris and his roommate to an awesome Brazilian <br>place and then watched some basketball. Side note: if freaking Dook <br>wins the title I might not be coming back to NC until next season. Go <br>Bulldogs!<p>Chris also had a PS3 with FIFA 2010, so I figured that I had better do <br>some research on the teams Sharon and I will be seeing in South <br>Africa, and played a few games with the teams we'll be seeing.<p>Chris then made an awesome dinner for me and his girlfriend, and then <br>we watched an episode of The Pacific, which is a really good show.<p>Thanks again, Chris for letting me crash at your place. I would insert <br>a plug here for what a great and attractive guy Chris is for any <br>single ladies in LA, but He already landed himself a pretty awesome <br>person, so he's already covered there.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-33604887685729100082010-03-30T13:53:00.000-04:002010-03-30T13:54:14.445-04:00This Is the Best Memory Lane I've Ever Been DownDay 12<p>Miles today 132 Total miles: 3,647<p>Dippin through hoods<p>This was just a cool day. We slept in, got going around noon and just <br>spent the whole day riding around LA. We swung by the La Brea tar pits <br>first, but couldn't see much. Then we went to Hollywood, checking out <br>the walk of fame and being tourists. After that we rode through <br>Beverly Hills, a place where owning a Lexus makes you a second class <br>citizen. That place was amazing. It was just one gorgeous house after <br>another with amazing cars in front of each.<p>Next we rode on Mulholland Drive which was a really cool road. It runs <br>through the hills (mountains?) over Beverly Hills. It was miles of <br>curves with amazing views of the San Fernando valley.<p>After that we rode the sunset strip to the beach, then took 1 south <br>all the way down to Rancho Palos Verdes where my parents usedto live <br>in the 80's before I was born. This is an amazing place for someone to <br>live. Houses perched on cliffs overlooking the pacific, perfect <br>weather and some of the coolest scenery in America. My mom's dad came <br>out to visit once and decided that my parents were never leaving once <br>he saw the place. When they lived out here, my dad worked at a park <br>called Marine Land, similar to Sea World. My dad hadn't been out here <br>in about 15 years, so we rode down to see the park. Turns out trump <br>had bought it and turned it into a resort hotel. Dad just about fell <br>off the bike when he saw that. It was pretty depressing to find out <br>that a place where you worked so hard and committed so much was just <br>gone. We also went down to the shopping center to try to find the <br>jewelry store that my mom worked at, and it was gone too.<p>We had to deal with all this heartbreak, so we went to Admiral <br>Risty's, the bar where the Marine Land staff would go to unwind. This <br>was a really cool bar, with a great view of the pacific sunset. They <br>would call this "the show." everyone would go to the bar to watch the <br>show, and when the sun went down, the show was over and everyone went <br>home. I told him that his memory lane is much prettier than most <br>people's It's really pretty terrible how much hardship my parents had <br>to endure in their early years.<p>We rode back to the hotel, and we were pretty tired again. Also my <br>dad's had to get up at 5 to catch his flight, so we crashed again.<p>Being alone on the road for so long, it was great to spend time with a <br>fellow traveller. It was great to see you, dad, and I hope you had as <br>much fun as I did.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-140814070876047032010-03-30T13:29:00.001-04:002010-03-30T13:29:51.418-04:00Two upDay 11<p>Miles today: 353 Total miles: 3,515<p>I picked up a passenger in Las Vegas - my dad hopped on the back of <br>the bike today and we rode to Los Angeles. I mentioned that there were <br>times on the way out here that the bike topped out at around 65 going <br>up hills with a headwind. Well, we decided to add another challenge on <br>o that by adding a passenger (riding with two people on the bike is <br>called riding "two up"). Now, I should mention that the two genlemen <br>in question here are of svelte build and thereby do not pose a great <br>problem for the bike in terms of weight; nonetheless, the distribution <br>of this weight was slightly different than usual. The good news was <br>that we went downhill most of the way, but the bad news was that the <br>winds were still strong. The bike did really well - only a couple of <br>times did I max out the throttle, and we were able to do 70 and keep <br>up with traffic. We took the freeway again because there's really no <br>other way to get between those 2 cities without going almost a day out <br>of the way.<p>We got off the freeway at Victorville and came in through the valley <br>to the north of the city. This was a great drive and made up for the <br>boring stretches on I-15. Then we got back on the 405 (note: in <br>California, this is how people refer to major roads - the 405, the <br>101, etc. Just another one of those little reminders that you're in <br>another country. Still not sure why I haven't been asked for my <br>passport even though Ive gone through Texas and into California.)<p>It was also fun hearing my dad's reactions to getting used to the <br>bike. He loved how open everything was around him. Especially as a <br>passenger, he was able to look all around and have an unrestricted <br>view of the scenery. He was also battleing the cold, even when it was <br>65 degrees out. Without a windbreaker he was shivering. We switched <br>around some clothes, and he was much happier. We also spent a lot of <br>time figuring out how to ride with two people. The passenger has to be <br>sort of a co-pilot, leaning into turns, working with the driver in <br>tight spots. Because a passenger's weight is so high above the center <br>of gravity on a motorcycle, his movements can tip the bike more easily <br>than the driver.<p>We were both pretty wiped after the trip. Riding two up seems to be a <br>lot more tiring than riding single. We went to ralph's for a 6 pack <br>and got some pizza, then crashed.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-33478278438526494952010-03-27T14:22:00.000-04:002010-03-27T14:22:32.468-04:00VEGAS!!!I made it out of Vegas alive and with most of my finances remaining. I know a lot of you were worried. I had grand plans of writing tomes for the blog, but should have know that it's impossible to get anything productive done in that town. So days late and (many) dollars short, here it is:<br />
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I don't think I mentioned before that my dad was meeting me out here in Vegas. The plan was to hang out for a day in Las Vegas, then he hops on the back of the bike and we go to LA. It was also nice that he had a few Marriott points stored up, so we got some free rooms in 2 very expensive cities.<br />
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So we got going around 10 on Thursday morning and got a few chores out of the way. Dad did laundry while I went to the UPS store to ship my camping gear to LA. There wasn't enough room on the bike for a passenger and all that gear, so we worked out that we could just send it to the hotel.<br />
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We got some lunch and then walked/rode around the strip for a while just to look around. We ducked into Casino Royale and played some very cheap roulette, craps and blackjack. We played for an hour or so and both finished up slightly. I think this might be the only time in my life when I will be up lifetime vs. the Vegas casinos. <br />
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Our family went out here about 10 years ago, so we went back to all the places we went when we were out here. We checked out the Luxor, where we stayed last time, and Mandalay Bay. I had some sports wagers to make, and I did those at the Mandalay Bay Sportsbook, which was really cool. Lots of flatscreens and huge LED boards listing odds on various games/sports. It was also Sweet 16 Thursday, so it was a great place to just hang out for an hour and watch the games with everyone. All the bets seemed to be on the underdogs, judging by the cheers of everyone watching. Watching random sports games is a lot of fun with people who have bet heavily on one team or the other. I went up to the desk to place my bets: I put 10 on the Bobcats to win the title at 100/1, so basically Vegas owes me $1,000 in June. I also put a bet in for Russell, my roommate on the Pirates to win the Pennant at 150/1. The guy who booked that one for me said, "Make sure he doesn't spend that one before it hits." I was also very excited to be able to bet against Dook in the tournament. So I said, "I'd like $10 on bet number 808 against the spread." Dook was favored by 8.5 against Purdue. As it turns out, I'm not used to the way that I had to place my bets at the counter, and I might have accidentally bet <i>on</i> Dook instead of against them. I went up to the counter thinking, "Ok I want to bet against Dook, so I should say the bet number next to Dook." Which I did. Which placed a bet against Purdue. I just want to say that I am very happy for this opportunity to represent the University of North Carolina and the fine education I received there. Mom and Dad, if you want me to pay you back for all that tuition you spent, I understand. (Also, Duke won and covered, but on General Principles, I will not be cashing that bet in. At least I can be an idiot with principles.)<br />
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We walked around the Bellagio for a while and came across some $10 blackjack tables, which are very cheap for the kind of place that the Bellagio is. We decided we had to play for a little bit, just to say that we played at the Bellagio. The tables had cream colored felt and you placed your bet on a script "B" instead of in a circle. To make a short story shorter, we both lost $40 in about 6 minutes. Totally worth it. <br />
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We went to see David Spade do stand-up that night, and it was a great show. We also purchased some of the cheaper tickets, so we sat right in front of the drunk idiots in the last row. They started yelling stuff at the opening act, and he did such a great job of shutting them up while making the rest of the audience howl. Spade did a great show, and yes he did do the "Housekeeping" bit from <u>Tommy Boy</u>.<br />
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After the show we hit the cheap tables at the Sahara. We played some craps, which was not going well and getting expensive quickly. Then we sat down at a dollar blackjack table and spent the rest of the night there. We had two dealers who rotated through our table: Natalya, a very nice Russian woman, and Frankie, an older guy from New York who said he went to Vegas to visit some friends about 15 years ago and never left. It was two different worlds when these two dealers would switch. Natalya was just throwing out blackjacks for everyone and when she was dealing, the whole table was up. Then Frankie would come around and we all cowered in fear. It was uncanny how you just couldn't beat Frankie. You could turn a 15 into a 20, and Frankie would somehow get 21. Every time you got blackjack, it was a push. But the great news was that we were playing dollar blackjack. We sat at that table for almost 4 hours and only lost $40 each, while drinking enough beers to seriously impair our addition skills. Natalya eventually gave up and just told us how much we had after each card.<br />
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It was just an awesome day. Technically I walked out down about $70 on the day, but you have to take that Bobcats wager into consideration, so I'm actually up $930. Pretty good for a first time in Vegas if you ask me.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-8241040198584552692010-03-27T13:39:00.000-04:002010-03-27T13:39:42.000-04:00Our Hero Journeys to Las Vegas, Land of Virtue<i>When we last heard from our hero, he had sought shelter from a raging blizzard under the friendly overhang of a Texaco. His goal for the day, to reach the promised land of Las Vegas, Nevada, seemed to be in great peril. Anxiously waiting for the storm to pass, he thought about the task that lay before him. 600 miles from Albuquerque to Las Vegas. Can it be done in one day? Can the task be completed, even in the face of such insurmountable odds as were remaining after the devastation wrought by the fury of Mother Nature? Follow him on his journey as he tears across the American Southwest, land of freedom and promise, with only his wits (those being in perpetual short supply) and his trusty steed. </i><br />
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Day 10<br />
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Miles Today: 645 Total Miles: 3,162<br />
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The day started in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and I left the motel about 9:00 am, hoping to put in some good miles ahead of a storm that was supposed to be coming in around 11 to Albuquerque. I got within about 15 miles of Albuquerque and it hit: terrible cold front, driving winds and snow. I tried to keep going for a few miles, but then the snow got too heavy and I was worried about ice on the roads, so I pulled off. I just wanted a place with covered parking, and a gas station looked pretty good. I was figuring the storm would pass quickly, because there was only light snow forecasted, and it was supposed to warm up quickly after the system moved through. Turns out this one was here to stay a while. I pulled in to the gas station around 10 and couldn't leave until noon. <br />
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I had started the day thinking that if everything went just right, I might be able to make it to Vegas (640 miles) in a day. When I got sidetracked by that storm, I knew that was out the window. I got back on the road and made a quick stop into and REI to look for some hand warmers or something that would keep my hands warm. Riding into Santa Fe, the low temperatures combined with the altitude made for temperatures in the high 30's or so. At that point, my hands weren't working very well and I had to do something. I walked out with a pair of insulating glove liners and a package of hand warmers, which you just shake for a few seconds and they emit heat for 6-8 hours. So putting those two together made a big difference in how far I could go in cold weather. <br />
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I decided to just take 40 in the interest of speed, because there was just no way I could make it that fast if I didn't. The road was a little intimidating because the speed limit was 75 for almost the whole way. The bike doesn't do really high speeds all that well to begin with, and when you combine that with 20 mph sustained winds and hills, it can be tough to keep up with traffic in spots. There were times when I was holding the throttle wide open going up hills just to make 65 mph. <br />
<br />
So I left at 9 am and arrived at midnight, with 13 hours of actual road time and did 645 miles on Thursday. I'm pretty sure I've never done that much in a car before. I got in to the hotel, and half of me wanted to just run to the nearest casino and start losing money, and the other half wanted to crash. Of course, the latter half won out, which was probably a good thing.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-27748502347375444232010-03-25T23:12:00.001-04:002010-03-25T23:12:17.254-04:00Can't Talk Now . . . Good Stuff's Hap'ninOk sorry for the lack of updates recently, but after my battle with <br>the snowstorm, I made it 640 miles to Vegas on Wednesday. I'll post <br>more soon but I can't right now because . . . well, Vegas is <br>happening. You understand.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-40390350072771924952010-03-24T13:45:00.000-04:002010-03-24T13:46:12.691-04:00Midday Update (Because I've been stuck at this gas station for 2 hours)So I was all pumped to get going today, fight through the cold and <br>make it to the warmer weather that was expected in Arizona. Well, all <br>was going to plan - I put on every piece of clothing I had: two pairs <br>of jeans, chaps, wool socks two fleeces, jacket, ski mask, 2 pairs of <br>gloves and my rain suit for a windbreaker. I left around 9 when the <br>sun had warmed Santa Fe up into the 30's and headed south toward <br>Albuquerque. It was cold, but the sun was mostly out and I was <br>confident I could do the 60 miles to Albuquerque in one stretch. <br>Things were looking good until the snow started. Apparently there was <br>another system brewing behind the one that hit last night. It was <br>light to start but got a little heavier and I had to pull off. If that <br>snow starts to stick even a little bit when I'm doing 70 mph, I'm in <br>big trouble.<p>I've been following the radar on my phone and it looks like once this <br>stuff passes, it should be pretty smooth between here and Vegas. It <br>just doesn't look like this system is going anywhere soon.<p>A couple of things that I meant to mention last time but didn't:<p>So the reason that it's so cold and snowy in Santa Fe is that the city <br>is at a much higher elevation that I originally thought. The city is <br>over 7,000 feet above sea level. The climb also really snuck up on me. <br>It wasn't like climbing mountains in the east where you see s big hill <br>and then you climb up it. It was very gradual and I didn't realize I <br>was so high up until the engine started backfiring. It surprised me at <br>first, but then I put 2 and 2 together and realized what was going on. <br>Backfiring happens often in carbureted engines when the ratio of air <br>to fuel is thrown off by high altitude. Adjusting the carb to <br>compensate can be tricky and I was getting nervous that I would have <br>to adjust them if it got any worse, but it calmed down after I <br>descended a bit.<p>When I hit New Mexico, I mentioned that it felt like frontier country <br>- attracting the kind of people who wanted to go west to explore and <br>see what they could find for themselves. That got me thinking about <br>Lewis and Clark and the absolute lunacy of thier expedition. I had <br>this scene running through my head of the two of them at a bar, and <br>Lewis says to Clark, "Dude, I'm bored. Let's just go west and see hoe <br>farthe land goes." Clark: "Awesome idea bro. Let me just run home and <br>grab a few things. Oh and grab that Indian chick you met last week - <br>she said she knew some of the country out there, right?" (read up on <br>this if your're not familiar with it - pretty fascinating story, <br>although I like my version better) Anyways, I got thinking about all <br>the support I have on my trip - a motorized vehicle, roads, motels, <br>grocery stores and restaurants, maps, AAA - can you imagine doing this <br>if all you had was some guns, salt, and wagons? Not to mention that <br>there were supposed to be some hostile natives that you had to make <br>peace with.<p>So it looks like things are clearing up, so after a delicious and <br>nutritious gas station lunch, I think I'll venture out in a bit to see <br>how the roads areBrian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-22676077882162522202010-03-24T10:14:00.000-04:002010-03-24T10:15:37.061-04:00Double FeatureDays 7&8<p>Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have for you a very special double <br>feature! Because I was too wiped to write a post last night and too <br>rushed to write one this morning, we will be recapping both day 7 and <br>day 8 in one big post. Enjoy!<p>Day 7<p>Miles today: 467 Total miles: 2,136<p>So I mentioned that I did an oil change on the bike yesterday morning, <br>which took a couple hours, so I got out of Austin around 11 or 11:30. <br>I headed up through Abeline and then towards Lubbock. The really cool <br>thing about crossing Texas is the dramatic change in scenery that you <br>get to see as you move across the state. East Texas is pretty similar <br>to Mississippi and Louisiana, bu as you move west, the land flattens <br>out and the trees go away - drier land and more desertlike conditions. <br>Farmland needs more irrigation and the winds pick up also.<p>I made a stop along the way to get out the map and plan the rest of my <br>route for the day, and a man walks in, sees me with all my maps laid <br>out and says, "I like your style, son. Got all them maps spread out <br>just lookin for somewhere to go." Made my day.<p>I got towards Lubbock and found a campsite in the AAA guidebook that I <br>brought, and headed that way. It took me a little longer than I <br>thought and I got there well after dark. Well, this turned out to be <br>one of those campgrounds where they set horror movies, so after I rode <br>around for longer than I should have, I gave up and got a motel room.<p>All in all a pretty good day, but the frustration from not finding <br>that campsite and having to shell out for a room left me with a bad <br>taste in my mouth.<p>Day 8<p>Miles today: 381 Total miles: 2,517<p>I've been sleeping more than normal on this trip. I think riding makes <br>me more tired than I realize. So I got in late that night and woke up <br>late the next morning - around 9 or so. Also, it turns out that the <br>clock in my room hadn't been updated for DST, so it was actually 10:00 <br>am. After getting ready and packing up, I didn't get going until 11.<p>I rode through Lubbock to start, which was a bigger city than I <br>thought - around 250,000 people. Roy Lee - I just saw your comment <br>giving me directions to BBQ and I really regret not seeing that <br>earlier. Thanks for the recommendation but it looks like I'm out of <br>range now. Looks like I'll have to come back again.<p>I kept going northwest into New Mexico, aiming for Santa Fe. I saw a <br>marked difference between the two states just in crossing the border. <br>It feels like frontier country out here - people seem a like more <br>"individualistic" for lack of a better word. Houses and zoning are a <br>little more irregular and the land is even drier. Much less good <br>farmland and only a few cattle here and there.<p>The wind has picked up a lot, but I'm hoping that's just from the cold <br>front moving in. If you're hearing about the snow in Denver, northern <br>New Mexico is catching the southern portion of that. Temps were down <br>around 40 or high 30's when I rode the last 40 miles or so, and I <br>thought my fingers were going to fall off, they were so cold. It's <br>supposed to be worse tomorrow morning, temperatures around 30 in Santa <br>Fe and 40 around Albuquerque.<p>Also - another "made my day" moment: I saw TUMBLEWEEDS! I have only <br>ever seen those in movies and in movies/tv that spoof westerns. It was <br>surreal to watch the wind carry them across the road in front of me.<p>Got a room in Santa Fe because it's supposed to snow tonight. I'm <br>looking to get to the Sports Authority tomorrow morning for some hand <br>warmers so that I can go for longer without stopping as much<p>So Vegas by tonight is out - I have over 600 miles to go. I'm hopingto <br>do about 400 today to make Flagstaff and leave myself a shorter trip <br>thursday<p>*Morning note : There is snow on the motorcycle. Today migt not be <br>very awesome.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-38749085261727202612010-03-22T12:52:00.001-04:002010-03-22T12:52:21.034-04:00Texas!Day 6<p>Miles today: 330 Total miles: 1,669<p>Made it to Austin! Yesterday was a battle for most of the way against <br>wind and cold. Temps were in the low 40's when I started out around <br>noon after a really nice mass at St. Theresa parish in Sulfer, LA. I <br>don't think I've given a detailed description of temperatures and <br>their relationship to motorcycle riding, so I think I'll do that here. <br> From hot to cold, omitting temps above 80 or so because I've only <br>ridden in those conditions briefly when I first got the bike and I <br>just remember that anything over 80 was awesome. I'll also preface <br>this by saying that I probably hate the cold more than the next guy - <br>I'll take temps around 100 over temps in the 40's any day.<p>70's: Very comfortable. Summer (thinner) gloves and vents on the <br>jacket open. Maybe one thin sweater if travelling at high speeds for <br>long periods.<p>60's: Nice. Probably winter gloves in this range, definitely so in the <br>lower 60's. Vents on the jacket closed and at least one sweater type <br>undergarment.<p>High 50's: Cool but comfortable. Winter gloves, leg coverings (chaps <br>or leather pants) probably a couple layers under the jacket.<p>Low 50's: getting cold. With all the gear mentioned above, your hands <br>are still going to be cold after 30 or 40 miles unless your gloves are <br>much better than mine or electrically heated.<p>High 40's: Ok, it's cold. All the above gear and if you can go for <br>more than 40 miles in one stretch, you're a better man/woman than I.<p>Low 40's: I would rather not be out riding right now, thank you very <br>much. My hands freeze after 10 or 15 miles in this weather, so I have <br>to stop every 15-20 miles to warm them up if I'm not able to do so at <br>traffic lights. Otherwise it's a little dangerous to be on the bike <br>and not have your hands able to function.<p>30's: I can go a couple miles, tops, but that's it. And I'm only going <br>anywhere if absolutely necessary.<p>So now that you've got an idea of what I'm talking about, it was in <br>the upper 30's when I got up around 8 and warmed to about 42 by noon. <br>So I was hopping from town to town, stopping at most of them to get a <br>coffee to put my hands around. Around 2 or so it got up to the 50's <br>and I was able to get going pretty well, but then the coffee caught up <br>to me and I had to stop a few more times. Around this time, I looked <br>out west at the horizon and saw a break in the clouds maybe 50 miles <br>away and did a little fist pump that the weather was going to warm. <br>Well for the rest of the day I chased that break in the clouds like a <br>carrot on a stick, and finally caught it after the sun went down. It <br>did get more comfortable later on, when I got closer to Austin, temps <br>in the high 50's.<p>Ok on to the wind. Ever get bounced around on a freeway in a car? <br>Imagine what that wind would do if you took away 3/4 of the weight of <br>your car. It's also a heck of an experence to go 70 mph down the <br>freeway and have a 20 mph headwind. I was very happy to get off the <br>freeway once I got into Texas.<p>When I got into Texas, there was a sign that said "Beaumont 26 miles, <br>El Paso 872 miles." I think somebody at the DOT has a sense of humor.<p>I made it into Austin around 9:30 last night and stayed with sharon's <br>uncle in downtown Austin. I got a shower and went to sleep right after.<p>I changed the oil on the bike this morning in the parking lot of a Wal- <br>Mart and had some lunch. Now I'm ready to set out for what I've heard <br>is one of the most monotonous terrain on earth. Wish me luck.<p>The plan is now to get to Vegas by Wednesday night, which I'm pretty <br>sure I can do. I'll probably be camping somewhere in west Texas <br>tonight.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-39459703184720370032010-03-21T11:13:00.000-04:002010-03-21T11:14:14.907-04:00Southern Louisiana; Highs and LowsDay 5<p>Miles today: 255 Total miles: 1,339<p>First something I meant to post yesterday but forgot until mike <br>reminded me. When we were in New Orleans, he introduced us to the <br>North Carolina state toast. I feel like a better north carolinian now <br>that I have participated in this fine ode to the Old North State. You <br>can find the toast<br>for your next party or social gathering here: <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_State_Toast?wasRedirected=true">http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_State_Toast?wasRedirected=true</a><p>Yesterday was a bit of a challenge. I got a late start kit of the city <br>and was feeling pretty tired after not sleeping much the night before. <br>I took US-90 across the southern part of the state, which was nice for <br>most of the way, but the road was in pretty rough shape and was pretty <br>tough on me and the bike. Mike filled me in on why this is - he said <br>that Louisiana would not raise its drining age to 21 for a long time <br>after all other states had done so. Becuase the federal government <br>couldn't do anything about this directly, they decided to simply <br>withold funds for road construction and repair until the state <br>capitulated in the mid 90's. I thought this was a great story until I <br>had to ride 5 hours on said roads. I also saw a few drive-thru daqueri <br>shops, which got my mind spinning about the logistics of a daqueri on <br>a motorcycle. I have seen some Honda goldwings with cupholders, so <br>maybe something like that with a camelbak straw might work. One of the <br>fun parts about this trip is that I get to thunk these scenarios all <br>the way out and come up with solutions to pressing social and <br>political concerns like how to drink a piña colada on a bike.<p>When I got close to lafayette, I took LA-14 to avoid the city, and it <br>was one of the nicest roads I've taken yet. The land is now extretmely <br>flat with farmland for miles. Thus means that I can now see large <br>storm systems on the horizon, which is one of the coolest things about <br>being in the central US. Living in the east, your view is always <br>obstructed by hills and trees, but out here you can sometimes see the <br>horizon for 360 degrees around you. It really makes me feel small when <br>I can see a huge storm system bearing down on me.<p>Today was full of highs and lows. Leaving New Orleans and dealing with <br>those roads was not a fun experience, but the chance to ride LA-14 was <br>just awesome and more than made up for the rough start to the day.<p>I had visions of getting to Texas in my mind this morning, but it was <br>not to be. Mother nature decided that 40 degrees, 30 mph wind gusts <br>and rain would be just perfect for a Saturday night. So I'm at a motel <br>in Sulfer, LA. The plan is go get to Austin today, and the weather <br>looks cold and windy. Hopefully the afternoon will be nice to make up <br>for it.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-84112558483390824192010-03-20T15:53:00.001-04:002010-03-20T15:53:37.262-04:00Status UpdateMy butt hurts.<p>That is all.Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8275700212431608111.post-1483973474318279782010-03-20T10:11:00.003-04:002010-03-20T11:56:53.220-04:00New Orleans is SweetDay 4<br /><br />Miles today: 312 Total miles: 1,084 <br /><br />I'm finding it very difficult to leave this place. New Orleans is a pretty amazing city. I came here for a few days in 2006 to do hurricane cleanup, but it really feels like the mood of the city is better now. When I was here last, I went out on Bourbon Street, but it felt a little more muted than what I saw last night. The ride in last night was awesome - there are Louisiana Oaks overhanging every street and there is just such an energy to this city. I saw lots of houses that had colored flood lights outside - yellow and green and purple, which would look really tacky in any other city, but somehow looks perfect here. We went to see Drive By Truckers last night at Tipitina's and had a really great time. Mike lives really close to the bar and it's pretty crazy that one of the more famous music clubs in the city is just a neighborhood bar for him. One of the crazy/really cool things about this city is that if you go out to any bar on any night, you'll find people in their 50's, 60's and even 70's sometimes who are keeping pace with the 20 year olds. I'm going to start today off by just riding around the city for a little while to see more of what it looks like. If I don't get to Houston today, it's because I'm still in New Orleans.<br /><br />I took US-90 pretty much the whole way from Pensacola, FL to here, except for one part when I had to get on I-10 coming into NO because Katrina knocked out the bridge I was going to take, and it was too dark to read my map and figure out another way. <br /><br />A couple of notes from the road:<br /><br />Last year at work, I was applying to renew the state registrations for our products in Florida, and I noticed that the commissioner of their agricultural regulatory authority was named Charles Bronson, he of the "Death Wish I-V" series fame. So I had visions of Charles Bronson mowing down farmers in an effort to restore compliance to Florida's agricultural industry. Well, apparently he also regulates "consumer services" which includes gas stations, where I saw his name again. So now I had even cooler visions of him blowing up gas tankers all along the Florida coast, all in the name of regulatory justice. Once again, it's the little things that keep me entertained. <br /><br />Riding across the Mobile Bay into Mobile, AL was really cool. There are parts of US-90 that run right along the water, and there is only a foot or two of difference in elevation between the road and the water, so it feels like you could just turn right and keep right on riding over the water. The USS Alabama is also docked there and it is HUGE. So I swung in to go take a look at that and then headed on to Mississippi. <br /><br />I may have mentioned this in my previous post, but did you know you can gamble in Mississippi? I really had fun playing the penny slots and winning big. That's probably the last time in my life that I'll walk out of a casino having won money and kept it. <br /><br />Alright, time to pack up and get back on the road. I'm trying to get to Houston today, but I'm not sure if I'll make it. Stay tuned!Brian Beckerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280835981554029824noreply@blogger.com1